31. The representative of Japan said that, at the previous Council meeting, interest had been expressed in obtaining information about the Roundtable which had been held in Singapore in January 1997 with the assistance of the Japanese Patent Office and the International Bureau of WIPO. This Roundtable, which had focused on TRIPS implementation, had been very successful and informative and had had the participation of several policy-making officials from more than 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Speakers had been invited from the WTO Secretariat, the International Bureau of WIPO, the United States and several European countries. The proceedings of the discussions would be made available soon by the International Bureau of WIPO. Delegates who wished to receive more detailed information on the Roundtable were welcome to contact the delegation of Japan. Another roundtable would take place in Tokyo, from 10 to 12 September 1997, with the assistance of the International Bureau of WIPO, to discuss "The Intellectual Property System Towards the 21st Century" and would include the promotion of technical cooperation for developing countries in their efforts to implement the TRIPS Agreement.
